Straight off the track from the 2018 Fall Brawl, we were able to grab a few photos of Spencer Rivkin’s AE/JConcepts equipped RC8B3.1 that lit up the entire field during practice and qualifying. If you missed the report, check it out here to have a read. Long story short, the race was canceled after heavy rain during the 2nd round of qualifying and used the qualifying rounds ran to decide the winners.
Either way, a quick look at the video below of Spencer running during Q2 and you can tell he was on rails. Fired up from Worlds, Spencer quickly captured TQ in both round 1 and 2 before the rain came and was awarded the overall based on qualifying results.
JConcepts Spencer Rivkin lays down the only 12 lap run in Pro Buggy round 2 on gold Ellipses.
Posted by JConcepts Inc on Saturday, December 1, 2018
A race car is like a driver’s weapon. It’s really the only item a driver takes with them to the battlefield and naturally, Spencer’s car is decked out and ready for any battle. Topped off with knowledge gained from the IMFAR Worlds, Spencer’s RC8B3.1 is definitely a surgical blade, but since it’s an AE ……it’s also EVERYMAN’s car.
The front end of the car doesn’t look like anything out of the ordinary and honestly, that’s the beauty of the RC8B3.1. You can run the car pretty close to box stock and you’ll have a competitive platform. Sure, Spencer’s ride does have the Fast Race shock caps and a few JConcepts accessory upgrades, but that’s about it. Perhaps the most trick thing Spencer has on the car are the carbon fiber stiffening plates that install on the bottom side of the A-arms.
Down the center powering the RC8B3.1 is, of course, Maxima power with Spencer electing to go with the OS Speed based MX B2X model that has the iconic blue low-profile head. The pipe of choice is the popular OS Speed T-2090SC.
Towards the rear of the car is pretty much your basic RC8B3.1 with basically all stock parts. Gone are the days of when you heard about AE guys running Kyosho this, Mugen that, and now it seems a majority of them just run what comes in the kit. On that note, AE drivers are still messing with shock packages like pistons, o-rings, caps, and bladders to get a certain feel from the car.
This is one of the rare occasions that Spencer isn’t running the JConcepts front scoop as the stock nose cone did a fine job on the Badlands RC track.
The pillow ball design definitely takes some abuse and here you can see the Fin Arms Caps installed on Spencer’s ride.
One of the speed secrets to Spencer’s performance at the Fall Brawl is the gold compound Ellipse tires. These hot little bar tires excel when the track is low dust, smooth, and groovy. If the traction is there, the Ellipse tires provide a lot of forward drive, corner speed with an easy to drive feel.
Looking at the rear hub area, the standard plastic rear AE hub is used. At times, there were moments when the team ran Mugen hubs but now has reverted to the kit parts.
Made popular by World Champion, Davide Ongaro, the Fast Race shock caps seem to be the rage as their unique designs is said to improve landing and acceleration by the use of special honeycomb bladders.
An item that is often used by the top AE guys, the JConcepts Suspension Arm Caps really do add a sense of style and quick tune adjustability. Found on both Spencer’s and Davide Ongaro’s RC8B3.1, the Arm Caps are machined from aluminum and come in anodized black or blue.
Another racer favorite, the JConcepts RC8 Series Servo Bracket adds another blanket of security. Providing a stable base and reduced potential flex, the Servo Brackets have been Spencer’s ‘go to’ accessory to ensure that he gets the most out of his throttle and steering input devices.
As of late, more and more drivers are using the Protek Electronic Switch to power on and off their vehicles rather than some sort of makeshift plug or wire adapter.
As a Reedy driver, Spencer is using a pair of Reedy’s top of the line servos, the Reedy RT2207A HV Hi-Torque servos to get the job done. With nearly 250 oz of torque at .09 secs in 6.0V mode, provides more than enough power and speed. Jump it up to 7.4V and you’re looking at nearly 300 oz of torque at .07 speed!
Perhaps the most iconic turnbuckles out there, the JConcepts RC8 Fin turnbuckles do have a unique look and are easy to spot on any ride. Being a pillow ball platform, the Fin Titanium Turnbuckles are for the rear and for the steering linkages that includes 5 turnbuckles in total.
Holding down the plastic AE rear wing is the stylish JConcepts Finnisher Wing Buttons. Anyone looking for a full custom, trick look, these are the wing buttons to have. Machined fully out of aluminum adds security over the plastic wing buttons while still being incredibly lightweight and functional.